1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to expandable receptacles, more specifically, the present invention relates to laterally expandable receptacles that are capable of containing a greater volume of inserted items as compared to receptacles currently found in the prior art.
2. Background Art
Trash receptacles, also known as refuse containers, are used in practically every home and business in the United States. These receptacles take many forms, from small, indoor waste paper baskets to large, outdoor garbage cans. A large majority of these receptacles utilize a replaceable liner that is placed inside of a metal or plastic housing. The user fills the refuse liner with garbage, and when the liner is full, the user removes the liner from the housing and disposes of it, thereafter placing a new liner in the housing. Examples of such trash receptacles include U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,809, issued to Miller et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,321, issued to Campbell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,417, issued to Rhoades et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,306,486, issued to Martino et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 1,286,368, issued to Lucas.
Conventional trash receptacles commonly have a fixed receptacle body for containing rubbish and/or other items deposited therein. Because such conventional trash receptacles are not expandable, these receptacles must be frequently emptied. Also, no manner of facilitating trash compaction is provided for the majority of receptacles in use today. As a result, such receptacles are emptied more frequently and commonly contain less trash. Such a practice acts to increase the transportation and disposal costs for garbage removal within our communities.
Many systems have been developed for compacting and compressing trash. However, most of them are motor driven making them expensive, noisy, and large. Being designed to crush or compress everything put into them, they have more power than is required for most purposes. Those that are not motor driven are either primarily aimed at can crushing alone or, if for general trash collection, they are inefficient and costly.
One such example of a simple mechanical means for trash compaction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,866 issued to Mason, Jr. et al. The '866 patent discloses a container for compacting trash comprising a portion of its sides being formed of resilient horizontal pleated material throughout the circumference thereof and a downwardly movable plunger fitted therein. A need still remains for a more convenient trash compacting receptacle that may be scalable to sizes ranging from small domestic trash cans to large industrial garbage cans.
While the use of replaceable liners within conventional trash receptacles is a sanitary and efficient way to dispose of garbage over time, removal of the refuse liner from the housing of the permanent receptacle can be difficult and dangerous to one's health.
A problem occurs when removing a flexible, collapsible trash liner from its receptacle in that a vacuum seal is created in the vacant space immediately below the departing flexible trash liner making it more difficult to remove the flexible, collapsible trash liner because the greater ambient air pressure holds the flexible, collapsible trash liner within the trash receptacle. An additional problem occurs when filling a flexible, collapsible trash liner which is mounted within a trash receptacle in that the air trapped between the flexible, collapsible trash liner and the interior walls of the trash receptacle prevents the flexible, collapsible trash liner from assuming a ready and full configuration.
Traditionally, the refuse liner must be lifted up and over the rim of the receptacle. The vertical forces required to accomplish this task and break any created vacuum seal are significant and may cause injury to many users. The weak and infirm, along with the young and elderly, find it difficult to generate such vertical forces upon the refuse liner.
The bending and tugging at the replaceable liner is a tedious and bothersome task, due to the vacuum created between the liner and the sides of the receptacle. Devices in the previous art attempt to address this problem by providing various vacuum release means. U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,379, issued to Bard, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,732, issued to Bowers et al., disclose air conduits directed within the receptacle side walls. U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,876, issued to Stastny, discloses a method of attaching an air conduit through a side wall to the bottom of a trash receptacle.
Yet another problem associated with trash receptacles that use replaceable liners is the lifting of the receptacle during removal of the liner. U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,812, issued to Spiro, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,579, issued to Jones, disclose footpads that retract along the sides of the receptacle and can be extended to lay flat against the ground, thus providing a means of retaining the receptacle against the floor using one's foot.
Although a variety of receptacles are known, none are specifically directed to a receptacle that provides laterally expandable side walls that allow for the insertion of a greater volume of items therein and extends the time period between necessary liner removals. Moreover, a need further exists for a device that eliminates a vacuum seal which may develop in the space between a receptacle and an optional replaceable liner. Also, a need still further exists for a receptacle that provides a necessary stabilizing force against the receptacle during liner removal. The device of the present invention substantially fulfills these needs.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents or patent applications that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus which overcomes all of the problems and limitations cited above.